JOIN US BJP State president Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday accused the Karnataka government of not responding to a proposal of the Centre to set up a mega fertiliser unit in North Karnataka.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Joshi said such lackadaisical attitude of the government had also resulted in several industries shifting to other states.
Joshi said the Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Ministry had offered to set up a fertiliser manufacturing unit with an investment of Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 crore in North Karnataka. Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar had spoken to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to send the State’s response, but to no avail, Joshi claimed.
Joshi said the Industries and Commerce department, a portfolio retained by Siddaramaiah, had gone defunct. “Many industrialists and entrepreneurs have complained to me that proposals on setting up new ventures or expansion plans sent to the government get no response. It is high time the chief minister gives up the portfolio and allots it to someone else,” Joshi said.
The BJP leader said poor performance of various departments indicated that the government had failed on all fronts and looked as if it was in a “coma stage”. Joshi demanded a CBI probe into the illegal lottery racket in the State. “There are complaints that even top police officers are involved in the racket and the government is protecting them. Only a CBI probe can reveal the truth,” he said.
He accused the State government of trying to shut a case wherein a public works department superintendent engineer was caught transporting Rs 36 lakh in cash in Dharwad. Joshi said the Lokayukta SP who had perused the case had been transferred.
Rallies across Karnataka
The BJP will hold rallies across the State to celebrate the Narendra Modi government’s first anniversary. However, the rallies will be held between June 6 and 12 and not along with rest of the country (May 26 and 31) as the model code of conduct is in place in the State for the gram panchayat polls.
BJP State president Pralhad Joshi said the party will also hold contact programmes with its newly enrolled members from June 6.